Peace lost
by NikkieSheepie
Summary: Picked up after The Dawn Treader, Caspian's peaceful kingdom is falling into chaos once again with fighting on all sides. What will it take for him to restore peace again and find himself a queen? Caspian/OC - rating changed to M to be safe
1. Intro The fighting has begun again

A/N - Alright, so this was a stupid idea, starting a new fic when I have one part written and exams in the very near future. I blame it on being ill and having nothing better to do then watch the Narnia movies...

I'm trying out a new style of writing so I don't know how well this will work since I have never (to my knowledge) written anything of note in first person. Please excuse any slip ups (although do tell me if you see one) and the general rough feel of this story. Hopefully things will get better.

As always, no garentees on how often I can update since I should have been spending today revising / finishing my assignment but due to my activities last night / in the early hours of this morning where a lot of alcohol was consumed, I'm taking the day off!

I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my origional characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes as Caspian then I will gladly take him off your hands! :P) - Lets just assume that for the rest of the story yeah?

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**C****hapter 1 – The Fighting Has Begun Again**

If I'm honest, I'm not really sure how long it had been since the younger of the Great Kings and Queens of Narnia last left, It feels like many years have past but in reality it could only be a few. The last time King Edmund the Just and Queen Lucy the Valiant came to Narnia there was peace across much of the land and with their help King Caspian X found the Seven lost Lords and restored peace to every corner of Narnia, something many of the inhabitants only dreamed of.

Of course, this was too good to be true and within a year rebellions were beginning to grumble away at the lower ends of society. Everyone knew there would be a certain amount of distrust between the Telmarines and the rest of the Narnians but it was hoped that in time the past could be forgiven, or at least forgotten.

A group of Telmarines were unhappy with King Caspian X's close relationship with what they regarded to be the 'Wildlings' and their grumblings began to take hold. As soon as news of this spread another rebellion group began to form in opposition as they believed that King Caspian X was intentionally ignoring this growing power. This left the King with gradually less and less hold of Narnia and fewer friends by the day.

This is where my story begins. My name is Ariadne Astrum and I am the youngest fighter in a long line of noble Telmarines, a family which has been all but wiped out in the recent fighting. My family have always been in favour of reuniting all of Narnia as one peaceful people, back to how it was at the start of all things, when Aslan walked amongst us. We are fighting in King Caspian X's name and for the Great Kings and Queens of Narnia and we have paid dearly for it.

As it stands I am the only able member of my family left, my male cousins, uncles and my brother and father were all killed fighting when they were forced into service for Miraz the Usurper which leaves only the women and children, most of which are too old, young or grief stricken to fight, leaving me to fight alone.

At first I disguised myself as a man, calling myself Danne and fought alongside the other men in King Caspian X's name but I was soon discovered and rather then being forced out or worse used as a maid for the men of the camp, I was welcomed, praised even for my courage and determination and found a role more fitting to my abilities. Which brings me to my current situation.

I was trained as an archer after being discovered, a role perfect for me as I did not have the strength to fight most men but I was agile and often able to find a sheltered location from which to pepper the enemy with arrows without being seen. At least, I'd never been seen before. You join me as I sit chained at the wrist and ankle in the back of an enemy cart, my only weapon remaining to me are my wits as I am taken as a prisoner into one of the 'Free Telmar' camps.

I guess you may be a little confused now as to who is fighting who, so while I have nothing better to do let me explain. I joined 'Narnia United in Peace' or NUP, first as Danne and now as myself, Ariadne and have now been taken prisoner by the 'Free Telmar Movement', FTM for short who are fighting against King Caspian X's Loyalists, NUP and also the 'Old Narnian Company or ONC. NUP have yet to convince King Caspian X and his Loyalists that we fight for them, in fact I was part of a party on route to try and achieve just that when we were attacked.

For all I know, the twelve brave men I was with are all lying dead or injured while I get carted off because I'm a woman, presumably destined for a life of servitude in one way or another. Well I've got news for them, I'm not the serving type and the first chance I get, I'm gone and they'll have a hell of a job to catch me!

We've stopped and I can hear voices outside. Wish me luck my friends, I think I'm going to be needing it.


	2. Into the Camp

A/N - Here we go, the second installment. Please review, even if you only want to tell me to stop writing... which I hope it wont be...

In ammendment to my previous disclaimer thingy;  
I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my origional characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

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**Chapter 2 – Into the Camp**

The voices outside are arguing and I cower away as the flap of fabric covering the back of the cart is lifted, revealing me and only me. The face of a weathered old man looks into the cart before retreating and lowering the fabric flap again.

"Alright, go on through. Andre will accompany you to the Lord Commander's tent." And with that the cart began to move again, the hushed movement across the leaf strewn ground was replaced by a clip-clopping of horse hooves on stone and the sound of many merry men as the cart moved into the camp.

"Inform the Lord Commander that we have a prisoner for him." Announced someone as the cart halted for a second time. Silence fell over the immediate area followed by whispers on all sides as the men made bets and laughed about the fate of the prisoner, me.

Quiet descended once again and I could only assume that the Lord Commander had emerged from his tent. "Bring me the prisoner."

The flap of fabric was thrown up, blinding me with the late evening light as I was grabbed and dragged roughly before the Lord Commander of the Free Telmar Movement.

"You tell me you have a prisoner and you bring me a woman. You waste my time." Said the Lord Commander, dismissing me as I knelt on the ground before him.

"These are her weapons." Said one of the men behind me quickly, rushing forwards with my bow, quiver and dagger and placing them on the floor beside me before moving quickly away again.

"What of it? So the girl has a bow and arrows." He replied in the same dismissive tone as he turned back towards his tend.

Another of my captors moved forwards to speak, "My lord, the weapons are of a very good quality, better then many of our men, and the engravings, they are Old Narnian."

The lord commander turned back to me, taking a few steps closer and bending slightly to examine my face. He placed a hand gently under my chin and raised my head so that I was looking directly at him before moving away and signalling for his men to seize me once again. "Take her and put her with the rest of the prisoners." He said, "and make sure that not a hair on her head is harmed."

"Yes my Lord," answered the two men holding one of my arms each before they dragged me around to the back of the Lord commanders tent where there was row upon row of makeshift cages, many containing other prisoners. I was dumped in the last of a line before being left alone with my puzzled thoughts.

I didn't get to think for long for as soon as the guards had left two men in the cage to the right of my own moved closer to me and signalled for me to do the same.

"Who do you fight for?" asked the older of the two men quietly.

I looked the two men over quickly before making my reply. They were certainly not fighters from the Free Telmar Movement and they did not appear to support the Free Narnian Company, at best guess they were part of King Caspian's Loyalists. "I fight for King Caspian and the Kings and Queens of old." I replied, keeping my voice strong and my eyes fixed on theirs.

The second of the two men scoffed at my reply, "You can't be fighting for King Caspian."

"She said she fought for him, she never said she was part of his Loyalists. Shut up Harriot." Snapped the older man before shuffling slightly closer to the bars dividing me from them. "You aren't a Loyalist, so who are you? A lone fighter?"

A small voice in the back of my mind was telling me to keep my secrets to myself, but there was another, stronger part of me that was telling me to trust these two men. "I fight with NUP." I said simply, waiting for them to take the lead in the conversation.

"You have a look of a Telmar." Said the older man unsurely as he considered my reply.

My reply was cut short as a guard appeared and knocked his sword against the bars of my cage to get our attention. "Shut it sweet cheeks, just because the boss thinks you're worth something doesn't mean I do." He smirked at us before moving away.


	3. Mistaken Identity

A/N - SORRY, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry etc. etc. Life kinda ran away with me a little. I shouldn't really be spending the time uploading this even but I feel soo bad! I should be doing my mountain of notes (the main reason I haven't updated in a loooong time) right now and I'm afraid I can't promise when I will next update but I will try my hardest to make it a much shorter gap. Again, I'm sorry.  
Please review and tell me what you do and don't like etc. :)

In ammendment to my previous disclaimer thingy;  
I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my origional characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

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**Chapter 3 – Mistaken Identity**

I was dragged roughly from my cage, my wrists and ankles still chained and taken into the Lord Commanders tent. In any other circumstances I would have admired the decoration which, while perhaps a little gaudy for my liking was rather tastefully done considering the location.

"I'll cut to the chase." Said the Lord Commander as he reclined on a throne like chair, his feet on the desk in front of him. "I'm not convinced but some of my men feel you bear a certain resemblance to someone of great importance. All I ask of you is some proof of who you are, or as the case may be, are not. As such, I have devised a little test for you, I don't imagine you're going to just _tell_ me who you are so this is a little more physical."

As he spoke one of his squires brought forwards my weapons and placed them on the ground before me.

"You will shoot for me." The Lord Commander said simply, swinging his feet from the desk in order to lean forwards. "We have here 4 innocent Narnians," he gestured to his left where 2 dwarves, an otter and a large mouse where brought forwards, each of them battered and bloody with swords all around them. "Who will be set free if you complete one small task, fail and I will kill them all before giving you to my men. They could use a bit of cheering up." He finished dismissively.

I looked at each Narnian in turn, my face full of apologetic sympathy because whoever this person of 'great importance' they thought I was, was about to get these 4 Narnians killed. The otter smiled slightly at me, while the 2 dwarves stood impassively and the mouse, the mouse surprised me by nodding, ever so slightly, like he was trying to tell me something, as if there was something prearranged between us.

"All you have to do, is fire 4 arrows, one for each Narnian, at this target." The lord commander rose from his throne and opened one of the side flaps of his tent to reveal a typical archery practice target at least 3 times the distance of a normal practice range from the tent and hardly visible in the dim evening light. The chains from my wrists were removed and I was handed my bow and the first arrow.

I took the items gently from the squire before moving to the centre of the tent to line myself up with the target. I didn't allow myself time to think about the task, taking a deep breathe I raised my bow, pulling back on the string as I did so. There was a silence as the first arrow hit the mark, dead centre on the target. I repeated the process twice more, effectively freeing 3 Narnians before the Lord Commander called a halt on his little show.

"If you don't mind my dear, I would like one bit of proof more of your identity." He unwrapped a length of cloth from around his left wrist and tied it securely around my head, covering my eyes. "Please, continue."

I panicked slightly at this new obstacle. There was no way I could land a bulls-eye blindfolded, but I had to try else one Narnian at least would loose their life over a case of mistaken identity. I slowed my breathing, raised my bow and tried to make everything feel exactly as it had done for the last 3 shots. Finally satisfied I released the bow string and heard the arrow whistle away from me.

Within seconds my bow was snatched from my hands and I was forced to my knees, the blindfold still in place over my eyes.

"So it appears to be true." Said the deep voice of the Lord Commander from somewhere to my right. "She must have the blood of The Marksman Queen, there is no other explanation." Footsteps moved in front of me before the Lord Commander continued. "This gives me considerable leverage over a certain King so it seems my dear that you have a use to me and will be treated with the upmost respect. Put her back where you got her from while I make arrangements."

"Yes my Lord." Echoed a voice on either side of me. My manacles were replaced and I was marched back to my prison blindfolded before being pushed roughly inside with jeers of 'sleep well your majesty'.

I pulled the blindfold from my eyes and sighed heavily. How could they think I was related to Queen Susan the Gentle? My family was noble yes, by first of all I was a Telmarine and Queen Susan had only visited Telmar briefly, not long enough to bear a child and besides I was far too old for that. Unless perhaps High King Peter… no surely not, the timing still wouldn't work and besides, that wouldn't explain my archery skills.

Harriot and his companion moved towards me once again. "Are you alright child?" asked the older man who's name I had yet to learn.

I snapped at him, "I'm not a child! I am a woman grown! And no, I am not alright." I burst into tears, burying my face in my hands.

So there I sat, telling my sorry tale to these two strangers, one of which I didn't even know the name of yet. I told them everything, from joining NUP as Danne right through to my encounter with the Lord Commander and the potentially life threatening idea that I was related to the Kings and Queens of Old.

"So now he thinks that I'm the child of the Marksman Queen or something so he's going to use me as a bargaining chip against King Caspian." I sobbed, wiping my eyes on the back of my grimy hand. "So either I'm going to get killed or The King will be in danger because of me."

Harriot looked to his older companion, "She does have quite a considerable resemblance, you have to admit Ilius."

Ilius nodded his agreement. "I wish there was something we could do to help you, after all, we're fighting on the same side, but while we're stuck in here there's little and less we can do for you."

We sat together, not saying much but quietly enjoying each others company for a few hours more before I was taken once again, long after the sun had set.

"My Queen." Declared the Lord Commander as I was escorted into his tent, "Please take a seat and have something to eat." He said as he gestured to a chair next to a small table of food.

I sat, wary of his intentions and picked an apple from the table, taking a small bite.

"Are you not hungry my Queen? I promise you the food is not poisoned, after all, what good would you be to me dead?" he picked a grape from the bunch placed at the middle of the table and popped it into his mouth as a means of proof.

I took another bite of the apple, larger this time as the sense of his statement hit me. If he was going to ransom me to King Caspian he'd certainly get a better price for me alive rather then dead.

"Now," the Lord Commander clapped his hands together, "While you eat, we have business to attend to. You must be cleaned and dressed appropriately, of course we will need to keep you contained somehow, perhaps the irons shall stay for the time being." He began to trail off slightly as he motioned for his attendants to begin their work.

I was taken into a separate area of the tent, stripped to the skin and scrubbed so hard I turned a bright shade of pink. Next came the clothes, a Telmarine noble dress, much like I had worn before to public occasions and weddings back home. Of course, such clothing is completely impractical for fighting or running so when it came time for my restraints to be fitted I was left without chains on my ankles but my skill with a bow meant it was too dangerous to leave my wrists loose.

While all this was happening the Lord Commander told me of his plans to lure king Caspian into retrieving me at which point a trap would be sprung and the King either captured or killed, the Lord Commander didn't appear to be overly fussy about that detail.

"So all you have to do my sweet Lady is to keep your mouth shut and stay where you are put." I nodded my agreement, having every intention to warn the King of the plan, even if it meant my life was forfeited in the process.

Since I was now so finely dressed, at a considerable cost to the Lord Commander I gathered, I was no longer destined to spend the night outside in the makeshift cell. Although the idea of a comfortable, warm bed was tempting, I'd rather have spent the night shivering on the floor in my cage next to Harriot and Ilius.

Morning came too soon and the Lord Commander was determined to put his plan into action as quickly as possible. As such he dressed four of his own men in Loyalist uniform and freed my new found friends from their cell to act as unarmed guides to King Caspian when the news would be broken of my capture.

As Harriot and Ilius left the camp with their disguised captures Ilius turned back as if to mock the men watching him leave, but in amongst his jeers, for which I'm sure he received punishment from his guards, there was an unmistakable nod of understanding directed to me.


	4. The Mouse and the Small Council

A/N - I feel really bad again but hopefully you're still sticking with me and my rubbish updating. Like always I have no time to myself but (and there are no promises here) Christmas is approaching and I actually have some time off at that point! Hopefully I won't leave you to wait that long but I should be able to do a few fast updates soon :) Again sorry and thanks for sticking with me.

Please review and tell me what you do and don't like etc. :)

I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

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_This is a short chapter unfortunately but begins to bring out some of the details of the fighting which people asked for._

_Due to the need to change the perspective of the story I had to change style briefly (this is why I don't generally write in the first person). I hope you will forgive the changes when they happen. The normal style will resume when we return to Ariadne's perspective._

**Chapter 4 – The Mouse and The Small Council**

"I swear, this girl hit the target 3 times, straight in the bulls-eye! I could hardly see the thing, it must have been no more then a blur to her, and then he blindfolded her. Well that was it, I thought I was a gonner for sure but no, she stood there and shot that last arrow straight into the middle of the target!" The mouse was nearly overcome as he retold the story of his release. He beamed from ear to mousey ear as he mimicked the action of an arrow being fired and made the sound effect of it hitting the target.

"Of course, old grumpy boots wasn't best pleased at having to let us four go but he did say something about the girl having 'the blood of the Marksman Queen' and that he wouldn't overly mind if rumours were spread. Now I don't know how true this is but I challenge you to think of a better explanation for that girl hitting the target blindfolded!"

A leopard stood and walked slowly into the centre of the circle, "Thank you Parareepit." She said in a dismissive tone, clearly indicating the mouse's time addressing the small council of Narnians was at its end. "So it seems that the Telmarines have themselves a weapon of sorts, leverage over King Caspian for he will surely not allow this girl to come to harm if their suspicions are correct. I think it is time we sent a delegation to our King and see where words will take us."

"You can't be serious!" shouted a dwarf from across the circle of creatures, "He's a Telmarine, King or not he can't be trusted! The only time there has been peace with Telmar is when the Kings and Queens of old have been here!"

"And if this girl is related to the Kings and Queens of old?" Chirped Paraeepit from the edge of the circle, "She could be what's needed to bring peace again."

A centaur lowered its head from gazing at the night sky and in an almost dreamy, prophetic voice said simply, "The time is ripe for a new chapter in Narnia's story. Swords and arrows will create one path, words another."

"We must try to find peace with King Caspian for the sake of Narnia. The Archer Girl has an important role to play I feel." Added the leopard. "Parareepit, you are to seek out King Caspian and bring him to hear our voices. Words will be exchanged before swords are crossed."

Parareepit nodded as the dwarf began protesting once again. The centaur silenced everyone once again as his voice flowed lyrically around the gathering. "I have watched the skies for many years, but never has the path been so cloaked in uncertainty as now. We should think of the Great Aslan and act in mind of his approval if we are to end this fighting."

"A son of Adam or a daughter of Eve must rule for there to be peace, that much is certain. May your journey be swift Parareepit." Added the leopard, bowing her head to the mouse as he sprang into motion leaving the small council in silence.

The dwarf grumbled quietly, "I for one will never trust a Telmarine."

"You forget yourself dwarf. Your kind have also wronged Narnia, you would do well to remember that." Hissed a faun, "Don't think we have forgotten, your people betrayed us to the White Witch which nearly killed Narnia."

"And the Telmarines didn't?" countered the Dwarf

"King Caspian ended that did he not?" answered the faun, drawing himself up to his full height, a full head and shoulders above his argumentative companion.

"Mejre, Gille, enough." Growled the leopard with a pointed look at first the faun and then the dwarf before turning in a slow circle in order to see all members of the group. "We will wait for Parareepit to speak with the King before coming to any conclusions." And with that she stalked away from the clearing and into the woods out of sight.


	5. Harriot and Ilius

A/N -Firstly, hello to all my new readers, glad to have you on board! Secondly, like always I'm apologizing for the wait between updates, I don't want to bore you with the details but a long story short is that I have exams in just over a week which I'm not at all prepared for and this is the first 'holiday' I've had since about June so guess what I'll be doing, yep, you got it, I'll be revising madly for the next week! I have a few chapters written so brain melt down permitting I'll be able to upload something a little later in the week to tide you over until I get time to write about something other then drugs and the effects on the body! - at this point I'll just add, no I'm not a Dr, or a vet, I'm a vet _nurse_ and I'll forget this lot as soon as I can! :-/

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

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**Chapter 5 – Harriot and Ilius**

Ilius' rebellious scene upon leaving the Free Telmar camp had cost him dearly but he hoped that he was able to lift Ariadne's spirits a little in doing so. He had now been reduced to little more then a cripple, relying heavily on Harriot when they moved as his injured leg quickly became unbearable to walk on.

"How long must we travel?" demanded one of the disguised men accompanying the two Loyalist fighters.

"Maybe if you hadn't crippled me we'd be closer by now." Muttered Ilius under his breath, receiving a glare from the nearest soldier he quickly finished, "I was simply working out the time based on our current speed. We should hit one of the main transport routes in the next few hours, after which we will make better progress."

Harriot pulled his companion's arm a little more securely around his shoulder as Ilius stumbled on a tree root. "Come on old man, you're not done yet." He said gently as they set off again.

A few hours later they had indeed reached a supply line, it was little more then a dirt track but the lack of obstacles made a huge difference on the group's speed. Occasionally a cart would rumble past, generally heading in the opposite direction laden with supplies of food or weaponry. However Aslan was obviously looking out for Ilius and Harriot that day as just as the sun began to set a large supply cart passed them by, pulling up a few meters ahead of them.

"You heading back home?" asked the driver as he jumped down from his seat.

The group nodded, "We have important information for King Caspian. Is it possible you could offer us a ride on your cart, at least for a short while?" replied Ilius.

The driver pulled open the back of his cart and gestured inside, "Sure thing after all, important news for the King is important news to us all one way or another." As the 6 travellers pulled themselves inside, Ilius requiring considerable help, the driver ventured another question. "Say, where were you coming from to be injured that bad?"

Harriot quickly interjected, "We met a group of Lone Fighters." The driver was apparently satisfied by the explanation and secured the back of his cart before returning to his position and whipping his horses into motion.

By sunrise the 2 Loyalists and their captors were being driven into Telmar in the back of the supply cart and they gained an audience with King Caspian almost immediately. Once they were inside the Grand Hall addressing the King one of the Free Telmar fighters took the lead.

"Your Majesty, we have information of a most worrying nature. Upon coming across a small group of Free Telmar fighters we overheard them mentioning a prisoner they had recently acquired. She is said to be incredibly talented with a bow and arrow, hitting a barely visible target straight in the bulls-eye, she is also apparently of rare beauty and carries a considerable likeness to The Marksman Queen, Queen Susan the Gentle."

At the mention of Susan's name Caspian found himself on his feet in an instance. "Did you see her? With your own eyes?"

"Only from a distance your Majesty," replied the Telmarine fighter, "from what I could see she does bear a likeness to Queen Susan, but as for her archery skills, I cannot say."

"But you are saying that this Girl may in fact be related to the Kings and Queens of Old? How could she be? She would be but a child." Said Caspian, doubt slipping into his voice as he considered the timing.

The Telmarine nodded his agreement, "Indeed your Highness, unless she is a descendant, from when the Kings and Queens ruled Narnia many years ago. She apparently admits to being of noble birth."

Caspian's fingers tapped out a random rhythm on the arm of his chair as he considered this possibility. There were no records of any of the Kings or Queens of Old having children, but then again records were so old and often damaged that maybe something had been missed. One thing was certain, if this girl was who she was claimed to be, Alsan had a hand in her sudden appearance. "Yet what can I do about it? Even if she is who they claim her to be, we don't know where to find them for they will surely have moved her. I cannot order a search that large on a rumour."

"If I may, we did overhear one last scrap of information. They wanted to find the truth behind her birth, they're assembling at Aslan's How."


	6. Aslan's How

A/N -Sorry, its late and it's short, but to make up for it I'm going to post a second chapter in just a few minutes! My apology this time involves a lovely chest infection which has been lingering for about 5 weeks now and managed to get in the way of my exams. (Middle of the exam and I have a coughing fit soo badly that I was given a glass of water twice then told to keep it and ask for more if I needed it! I'm sure everyone else loved me for that one! :-/ )

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

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**Chapter 6 – Aslan's How**

I lowered myself from the wagon I had spent the last three days travelling in, glad for the opportunity to stretch my legs at last. Looking around I was met with a glorious sight of lush green grass surrounded on three sides by a dense forest, and at the furthest side a stone structure, so old that it was covered in grass, and in places bushes and trees clung to rocky ledges. "Aslan's How." I whispered gently, smiling as I did so. No matter what my company was like, this place somehow had a good feeling to it, almost as if Aslan himself was watching, making sure that everything would be alright in the end.

I was jerked from my daydream as my guard moved up beside me and grabbed my arm painfully. "Move."

I done as I was bid and moved away from the line of carts at the edge of the cleaning my long skirt trailing through the long grass and mud, towards Aslan's How where a small stone paved area, surrounded by broken columns stood.

"My Queen, I trust your journey was comfortable?" asked the Lord Commander as he spread his arms wide as if to give a favourite child a warm hug. I was pushed into his arms which locked around me, "You will do as you are told, nothing more and nothing less." He snarled into my ear before releasing me.

"Why is our Queen wearing irons? Remove them at once and find her something more comfortable." He demanded of his soldiers who were quick to obey, removing the cuffs before tying my wrists with a length of reasonably soft rope instead which for extra security was also tied around my waist, preventing me from raising my hands above my shoulders. While I am a fan of neither irons nor rope, after 4 days of iron cuffs chaffing at your wrists, rope feels gloriously soft and gentle in comparison, even if it did come with restricted movement.

It was at this point that the Lord Commander shooed his soldiers away leaving me alone with him in the small ruined ceremonial area where he told me what my role in his façade would be.

I was to stay within the confines of the ruins, there would be guards nearby to ensure that this happened, and would only be supplied with food and water if I was able to hit a distant target 4 times in a repeat of my first display every day for 3 days. Of course, he didn't expect to wait until the 3 days where over, after all King Caspian should be on his way to rescue me. If the king didn't show up then the Lord Commander 'couldn't guarantee my future'.

So there I was left, in solitary confinement with only my thoughts for company. I hoped that King Caspian didn't show but then that would almost certainly see an end to my life and naturally I wasn't overly fond of that outcome either. Noticing a boulder which must have been thrown into the area during the attack on Aslans How in the reign of Miraz the Usurper four years ago I sat upon it and lowered my head into my hands. There was nothing I could do now but play my part and hope for Aslan's protection.

It was some while later, during the last hours of light that I noticed a slight glint of something in the far woods to my right. I looked behind me and saw the Lord Commanders men happily standing around fires and cooking stations oblivious to the movement in the trees. Smiling slightly I looked back to where I had seen the movement and saw three men hiding at the edge of the woods watching the Free Telmar camp intently.

'And so it begins' I thought dryly to myself, as men on both sides began to debate my fate.


	7. Traitors and Narnians

A/N -I promised it, so I delivered, your second chapter. I'll try and update again soon but I'm sure you've all worked out that I have no idea when '#ll actually get round to updating... Enjoy!

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

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**Chapter 7 – Traitors and Narnians**

"Your Majesty!" called an urgent voice from behind the King as he made his way through the camp, "Your Majesty, I must speak with you urgently." Repeated the young soldier as he came up beside the King.

"Speak then solider." Said the King, "You were in the party that brought news of the Archer were you not?"

Harriot nodded, "Aye your Majesty, but may we speak more privately, these are delicate matters which I bring to you."

The King nodded and gestured inside the nearest tent, the council tent. "Leave us, I promise you I will be most safe." He said to his companions before leading Harriot into the tent and taking a seat, gesturing for his companion to do the same.

"My King, I bring you news of enemies in your midst. The men who escorted me and my injured comrade to you are not your allies, they fight for the Free Telmar Movement and are reporting to their Lord Commander on your movements and plans." Said Harriot quietly, as if worried that someone might overhear the news. "I am sorry that I could not bring you this information before now but it has taken me some time to escape the eyes of my captors."

King Caspian leant forwards slightly, a reassuring smile on his face. "You have done me a great service bringing me this information. The news they brought about the Archer, you did not add your voice during the council, tell me what you know."

Harriot relaxed slightly, glad that the King appeared to have believed him, at least about the intruders into his camp. "What they said was true enough, from what I have heard of her skills with a bow and arrow they are beyond compare. Also her beauty is a thing of note and she does bear a certain resemblance to the Marksman Queen of Old but," Harriot paused, not sure how to continue, a nod of encouragement from the King calmed his nerves and he continued.

"Ilius and I were imprisoned next to her briefly and she told us her story. She fights for Narnia United in Peace and was trying to reach you when she was captured, initially the Lord Commander dismissed her but when he heard about her weapons and skill he reconsidered and devised a test in which she freed 4 Narnians. They then deduced that she must be a descendant of the Marksman Queen, a lineage which she had no knowledge of your Highness. She is of an old noble Telmarine family who have always fought for Aslan but there is no royal blood in her veins to her knowledge."

The King lent back in his chair and considered this information, "Noble Telmarine? Of which family do you know?"

Harriot shook his head, "She told us only her first name, Ariadne. Please, your Highness, while I do not wish to sound forwards in my asking, my captors will surely have noticed my absence by now…"

"Say no more," said King Caspian, cutting across Harriot, "From this moment I name you and your companion as part of my personal guard, in recognition of the service you have done me."

"Excuse me your Highness, a Narnian mouse by the name of Parareepit has arrived and is demanding you speak with you immediately." Announced the guard as he entered the tent almost without being noticed.

Harriot stood to leave as the king nodded his approval to the guard. "You are welcome to stay soldier, in fact, by what name do I address you?" asked the King.

"Harriot Nefrey, my companion was Captain Ilius Jastine., and I should leave your Highness, these are private matters."

"Which you are now to be part of. Please sit, and give me your council Harriot Nefrey."

Harriot nodded and returned to his seat as the Narnian mouse entered the tent, bending into a low bow before addressing the King.

"Your Highness, I thank you for seeing me so quickly. I bring word from the small council of Narnian's, we are eager to exchange words before crossing swords, especially after the developments with the Free Telmar Movement."

King Caspian nodded, "Tell me Parareepit, what do you know of The Archer?"

"Only what I have seen my Liege, I have seen her skills with my own two eyes and believe me when I say, they are something to behold. She shot 3 arrows at a distant target before being blindfolded and landing the fourth shot also. In all my years I have never seen anything like it."


	8. Trouble

A/N -This is the worst stint I've done at university in respect to how boring the lectures are... they're teaching us about TAX! (Never realized how much the government robs off us!)  
As for the story, I've managed to write the end... just I have issues with the bit between now and then... darn writers block! I'm working on it though, I promise!

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Trouble**

I'm sure you can imagine how one's mind begins to wander when there is nothing to do but sit and wait for someone to come and rescue you, a minute seems like an hour and a day seems like a year. As I waited I was visited by a variety of small animals, first the odd bird would be brave enough to land nearby, then a mouse or two would scuttle past my feet and by the end of the day larger animals were venturing nearer to me. Having nothing better to do I decided I'd talk to these animals as they went about their business,

"How are you doing Mr BlueJay? It's lovely weather today isn't it."

"If you're looking for food Mrs Mouse I'd head over to the tents if I were you."

"Good day Master Squirrel, stocking up for the winter are you? Should be a good harvest of nuts this year."

At first my guards looked at me suspiciously, before deciding that I was probably going mad to be talking to such creatures.

'If things didn't change I probably will go mad, what a prize I'd be then.' I thought sourly as my mind changed to thoughts of escape.

XXX

Dusk arrived slowly as the sun sunk behind the towering mass of Aslan's How, casting a long shadow across the area, quickly reaching me and my guards. It was at this point that the Lord Commander and a small contingent of fighters arrived carrying my bow and arrows, taking the total number of guards for me up to 18.

I scoffed at the thought, 18 guards for little old me? What do they expect me to do? Unfortunately this scuppered my plans, there was no way I could get past all of them to make a run for the treeline.

"I trust you have had a comfortable time here?" asked the Lord Commander who was obviously not expecting a reply as he paused only a moment before continuing. "As I promised, your weapons have been brought for you to demonstrate your skill once more. Your target today is the tree to your left, the one covered in the most moss, to the right of the tree bearing fruit."

I looked to my left and my heart lifted. The tree that had been selected was only 100 meters away, hardly distinguishable from the trees forming the small clump to either side but the distance was short. I waited for my restraints to be removed before taking my bow and the offered arrow and landing the first shot solidly. I was given a new arrow and told to aim at the same tree before moving onto the tree to the right.

The fourth arrow was never offered to me as a horn blared from within the Free Telmar camp. "Restrain her, bind her to that post then all of you follow me." Barked the Lord Commander before storming off towards his camp. My hands were quickly bound together before a short length of rope secured me to the ruins and all 18 of my captors left me completely alone and undefended in the fading light.

The light faded quickly once I was alone, shouts continued to rise from the Free Telmar camp for some time after the Lord Commander left me before searches were sent out around the perimeter of the area around Aslan's How.

I was startled by a small stone hitting my leg, I immediately looked for the source of but could see nothing clearly enough in the near darkness. A second stone rattled by my feet, and a third skidded to a stop barely a meter from me but still I could not see the source.

"Please, do not be alarmed." Said a small voice to my right, causing me to jump out of my skin at the noise, "I come baring information and ask only little in return. There is little time so please listen carefully."

I nodded, still unable to clearly see who, or what was addressing me.

"The Telmar fighters will not be distracted for long so I have little time. King Caspian has arrived and is determined to release you but if you would be so kind as to give me your family name I shall let the King know."

"I don't…" I began but was cut short as a large mouse appeared before me, standing on the ruins.

"All I ask of you is your co-operation and to know your family name." he continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"Astrum, but I…" again the mouse cut across me.

"Thank you mi'lady. When the time comes, make for the treeline." He said, bowing before vanishing into the darkness.


	9. Cowadice

A/N - As usual I have no time to myself at all now that I'm back at work. Full time work, 2 assignments, stupid blog assignments every other week, filling out my training log and trying to eat and sleep... sorry I haven't had much time recently... :(

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Cowardice**

The strangely familiar mouse was right, the Telmariane's were not distracted for long and soon I was brought my evening meal by two scrawny manservants. The first held out the small plate of fruit and goblet before realising that I had no way of accepting them both from him at once with my hands still tightly bound, he placed them on the ground and retreated quickly back towards the camp with his companion. Thankfully they had left a small lantern for me to eat by as night had truly fallen.

Sighing slightly I picked up the goblet and took three large, grateful mouthfuls of the cool liquid, quenching my thirst. Slowly I lowered the goblet, letting the taste linger on my lips, an unusual taste, unlike any wine I knew, the after taste was unusually bitter for wine.

I dropped the goblet to the ground as my legs began to shake beneath me and I grabbed for the broken columns surrounding me. I clung to the cold stone as my legs collapsed, no longer responding to my will and I fell to the floor, panicking. My vision swam in and out of focus, a nauseating effect as I struggled to focus on small details in the darkness, the feel of the smooth marble under my hands, the dirt under my fingernails but darkness swept in and I could feel myself slowly slipping away.

Suddenly the realisation of where I had seen the Narnian mouse before came to me, he had been in the Lord Commander's tent as one of the hostages. I clung to consciousness for a minute or two longer, looking desperately for any sign of my whiskered visitor. I could hear horns being blown urgently from the forest to my right and a second set answering from behind me before I sank into the abyss of unconsciousness.

XXX

"My Lord! You must come quickly!" Exclaimed a soldier as he rushed into the tent where the king held his council. "Excuse the intrusion Sire, but it's the Archer, something's happening to her." The man doubled over as he finished summoning the King, breathing heavily.

"Harriot come with me. The rest of you, rouse the camp, we may have to move sooner then we'd planned." Said the King as he stood and moved swiftly towards the flaps of the tent, stopping only briefly to instruct someone that Parareepit was also to accompany him to the treeline.

Within minutes the King, Harriot and Parareepit were observing the cause for alarm from the treeline. As they arrived the Archer reluctantly released her grip on the stone she clung to and slipped to the floor. "What happened?" The king demanded of the watchman.

"She was brought food and drink my lord, she drank from the goblet before…" the watchman trailed off, gesturing to the unconscious girl in the ceremonial ruins.

"Poison." Whispered Parareepit with obvious disgust, "A coward's weapon."

"Rouse the camp and prepare to attack. Harriot, you will accompany me, Parareepit, perhaps you would infiltrate the camp and cause as much chaos as possible?"

The mouse nodded, "It would be my pleasure."

"But sire, this is surely a trap." Added Harriot hesitantly

The King nodded, "That much is obvious, the question is, while she's the bait, where's the trap going to spring from?"

Horns blared from behind them, the Telmarine's may have chosen the time and place but King Caspian was determined to meet them in battle. He moved swiftly back towards his tent, arming himself with High King Peter's legendary sword and a loaded crossbow, dealing out instructions as he did so. Two full parties were to attack the camp head on, one party would move around to each side while he and a small group including Harriot and few carefully selected others would accompany the King in retrieving the Archer.

Serving boys arrived with a horse for each of the King's party within minutes and as soon as they were mounted the war horns blared again, signalling readiness of the army. On the word of King Caspian the Loyalists burst from the forest onto the expanse in front of Aslan's How towards the brightly coloured tents where the Free Telmar Movement army was gathering in defence.

"For Narnia!" called someone from the front of the charge towards their iron clad opposition. An echo swept across the attacking Loyalist as the line rushed forwards and arrows were loosed.

XXX

"Ariadne? Come on girl, wake up…" the voice swam into my mind as someone shook me roughly. I was screaming inside my head, screaming that it was all a trap, screaming for help, screaming and screaming, but I couldn't make a sound any better than I could move my arm or open my eyes. The shaking stopped and I had the sensation of first being lifted by a strong pair of arms then the rocking movement of a horse galloping before I lost touch with the world for the second time.


	10. Awakening

A/N - So I've had a huge set back with my studies and I think I've experienced a mental breakdown (and hour crying at my placement officer has got to be up there with the signs of a breakdown!) so this is my 5 minutes to myself. Hope you enjoy this chapter because the writers block has only partially broken so there is still a chunk of story missing with nothing waiting to fill the gap.  
Also, I'd just like to shamelessly plead for a few more reviews/comments. I keep getting notifications of story follows but please, please, please, if you want anything else written then I need some feedback so that I can make my next story even better!

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Awakening**

"What was her name?" asked a voice to my left.

"Ariadne sire, Astrum I believe was the family name she gave to Parareepit" said a second voice in reply, a familiar voice.

"Ariadne." The first voice again, but this time much closer, "Please, open your eyes if you can. You are safe now."

I tried desperately to follow the command, every ounce of my consciousness focused on the normally subconscious task of opening my eyes, achieving only a small flutter of eyelashes for all my efforts.

"Well she can certainly hear us." Said the voice again, the one who had been addressed as 'sire'. "She seems to be aware, just unable to respond."

"My lord, a report from the men. It seems the Free Telmar Movement broke off from the fighting in a matter of minutes, dispersing into the forest. We sustained no losses and only a few casualties, even managed to free a few of our men and collect some of their supplies and weapons, including the Archer's weapons. If I may sire, this all seems rather easy…" said a third voice, perhaps a messenger from the camp.

The three men discussed the outcome of the attack while I mulled things over. So the wine had been poisoned, that much was obvious and the report about the Free Telmar Movement retreating meant that I must be in the Loyalist Camp. It certainly didn't sound as if the King had been killed, or even hurt so maybe the trap had failed. Or it was still to come.

I felt a hand sweep gently across my forehead, moving my hair as it did so. The presence of someone who wasn't trying to kill me was comforting, relaxing even and I soon found myself drifting back into unconsciousness as my guardian gently stroked my hand in the style of a lover.

XXX

"Rest is the best thing for her My Lord, it seems that her body is fighting the poison, whatever it may be. See, her skin is less pale and her hands warmer."

"Nether-the-less, we must move the camp, we have stalled for too long. Who knows what the Free Telmar Movement have in store for us. Their use of the Arch-, of Aridane seems to have bought them little advantage, I suspect she may have been merely a distraction to get me away from Telmar." Argued the voice I assumed belonged to King Caspian.

"She cannot travel My Lord, not until she regains consciousness, we do not understand the condition."

The Kings voice was dangerous, "We have stalled for two days and there has been little change, I will not leave her yet we _must_ return to Telmar. Find a way."

Desperate to see the exchange I forced my eyes open just enough to see the brilliant yellow of the tent roof and the blur of movement above me.

"My Lady?" came the questioning voice of the blurred figure above me.

I mumbled a response.

"Find Harriot Nefrey, tell him to come at once." Barked the voice of the King as his shadowy figure also entered my vision.

The first figure left my vision and began clattering glass and pottery behind me. "Are you alright girl?" Asked the King, his concern obvious in his voice.

I mumbled again, this time with more purpose yet still my words were incomprehensible.

"Any ideas on what she is saying?" asked the unknown voice, seemingly uncertain as to how to react to my awakening.

"She's probably telling you she's not a 'girl' but a 'woman grown'." Said a familiar voice with obvious amusement.

At the sound of Harriot's voice I found my lips curving into a small smile. He obviously been just outside the tent and had heard the Kings question, recalling the conversation we shared during our imprisonment.

"She recognises you." Noted the King, moving from my side to allow Harriot closer. "See what you can do for her, as much as it pains me to leave her, I must speak with the soldiers. I will not be long."

The toxins freed my body as quickly as they had incapacitated me, Harriot told me about the attack on the Free Telmar camp and the events of the last few days. By the time King Caspian returned I had regained control of my body and aside from blurry vision and being a little unsteady on my feet, and feeling incredibly hungry I seemed none the worse for my experience.

"That is a remarkable recovery My Lady." said the King as he swept back into the tent, attendants bustling all around him "Are you able to ride?"

I looked towards the blur I took to be the King, "I believe so Your Majesty, although my sight is still blurred but I imagine I can handle a horse."

"Good, you will travel with me. We will discuss matters once we are underway. Harriot, prepare to leave immediately."

"Yes Sire." Replied Harriot, standing from his position beside me. "I'll get your weapons and a couple of horses, I'll be back soon." He said to me, squeezing my shoulder gently before leaving with the King.


	11. Surprise

A/N - Two chapters in two days! All this goes to show is that I have skived off writing my assignment while the writing bunny finally got his act together and filled in the gaps in the story!  
Again, shamelessly asking for more comments, I can write better stories if you tell me what you do and don't like. Even something as small as what you think of my original characters, do they seem believable? Do they fit in? Please guys? :-(

Again, I don't own anything other then the general storyline and my original characters (Although if someone will sell me Ben Barnes then I will gladly take him off your hands! I don't care who he is at the time, i'll have him :P)

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Surprise**

The Kings horse trotted up beside me before slowing to a walk. "So, Ariadne Astrum, The Archer. How exactly did you get mixed up in all this? Your weapons mark you as being a warrior rather than an innocent girl caught in the fighting."

I scowled at him as he described me as a girl. "My family have always followed Aslan. All of the men in my family were killed when they were forced into service for the Usurper Miraz, but I could not sit idly as the Free Telmar Movement gained a foothold in the…" I paused, trying to find the right words, "in the weaker hearts of Telmar. I couldn't join your loyalist on account of being a woman, so I disguised myself and joined the Narnian's United in Peace movement."

"But you were captured, Harriot told me you were trying to reach me." Finished the King.

I nodded, "I was part of a group of fighters on route to meet with you. We hoped to ally ourselves with you, fighting on Aslan's behalf."

"I see. Is that still your wish?" I nodded again. "I shall see what can be done." Replied the King, pausing before he continued, "I know this may be hard for you, but did you overhear anything while you were with our enemies?"

"Nothing of use My Lord. They were careful to keep me away from any such discussions, I knew I was to be part of a trap for you, but that is all I know. I'm sorry I have lead you into danger." I hung my head

"You did no such thing." Replied the King softly, "Call it bad luck if you will but do not blame yourself. The Free Telmar Movement flout the normal rules of battle to say the least, they are persistent and heavy handed and will not listen to reason." The King sighed lightly, "Forgive me, this fighting has taken its toll on us all."

We rode together for a while longer, discussing each of the warring parties. First, The Old Narnian Company who fiercely opposed that a Telmarine held the throne, no matter who he may be or what he had done. Then, The Free Telmar Movement who believed that the Narnians were being given excessive rights considering their 'wild nature'. Before lastly, The Narnian's United in Peace group who believed that peace was possible by supporting the rightful King whom they believed to be King Caspain X.

Shouts erupted around us and horses reared at the sudden noise and movement as men burst from the undergrowth on all sides forcing me to cling to my horse, my lack of balance becoming obvious as it panicked and reared, not knowing which way to turn. With my vision still blurry I relied on my ears to tell me what was going on. I heard the King shouting commands and Harriot calling me, giving me direction.

A dark figure spooked my horse as they made a grab for the reins causing my horse to bolt into the woods, away from the fighting. Soon my horse slowed and steadying myself in the saddle I reached for my bow, pulling it and an arrow from the quiver on my back. I shot at the shapes in the woodland, hoping that I would hit my mark, the figures dropped to the floor one by one and I began to relax, pulled my horse around and made back towards the noise of the battle.

I screamed in surprise as I was pulled from my saddle, instinct sent me reaching for my dagger which I sunk deep into the man's chest. He instantly released his grip and fell to the floor, clutching his bloodied chest. Breathing deeply I hid myself against the trunk of a large tree, my horse was gone and my bow lost amongst the branches littering the ground, I clutched my dagger and waited.

XXX

The noise of the battle slowly subsided, I heard footsteps headed in my general direction and sank further into the tree. Once again I cursed my lost vision as I stole a glance around the trunk; the approaching men could be from either army, merely dark shapes on a green backdrop. The footsteps slowed, moving more cautiously, nearing my hiding spot. I leapt to my feet, raising my dagger to the level of a man's throat and attacked the nearest source of noise. Steadying myself on the man's shoulder I pressed my dagger against his neck, stopping his companions in their tracks.

The figure quickly dropped his sword and held his hands out in surrender. "Ariadne." They said carefully making me hesitate, my dagger still pressed against his neck. He stood silently for a moment as his companions began to form a circle around us before moving his left hand slowly towards my dagger, holding my wrist gently but firmly as he moved it away from his neck. "You're OK, we're not going to hurt you."

I resisted his movements before his strong grip forced me to drop my dagger. "It's alright, you're with friends now." He said soothingly, holding my wrist tightly as if to steady me. I suddenly recognised the voice of King Caspain and went to move away in shame but as I stumbled I instead found myself pulled into his comforting embrace.


	12. Prophecy

A/N - I've had such a good day today I just couldn't spoil it by writing an assignment... so I skived off, again...  
First of all I'd like to say sorry for the story not turning out quite as I had pictured it. I'm thinking of writing a sequel now that I've written all of this one and just have the finishing touches to go. The idea was that I'd follow on chronologically from where this story ends, again moving away from the books / films and doing totally my own thing just carrying general themes through and the like, perhaps a few old faces will return? ;-) Please give me your thoughts, I don't want to say too much right now for fear of spoiling the end of this story, if you want more then send me a message and I will give you tidbits.

Still wishing I owned Narnia (or could go visit, visiting would do) and SERIOUSLY wishing I could steal Ben Barnes... still...

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Prophecy**

It was some time later when we had reached Telmar after having ridden at a punishing pace all day with his personal guard leaving the body of the army behind that the King called his advisors and me into the council room where a large table ran the length of the room. 10 chairs were positioned on each side and an elaborate throne like chair sat at the head of table, I hovered nervously by the door, not really understanding why I had been invited to the meeting while Harriot, part of the Kings guard, was not. The King noticed my apprehension and introduced me to the gathered advisors in a way I had never expected.

"My friends, I wish to introduce you to Lady Ariadne Astrum, The Bringer of Peace."

The silence was deafening, the only sound was my own heart beat and the steady beat of King Caspains footfall moving towards me. He took me gently by the arm and guided me towards an empty chair directly to the right of his own. I felt my face flush as the gathered advisors continued to stare at me, occasionally making comment to their neighbour under their breath.

"Excuse me Your Majesty, but, are you sure that the Lady is the foretold Bringer of Peace?" asked an elderly man timidly.

"What is it you doubt Lord Rarlow? Her age? The fact that she's a woman? Do tell us your worries My Lord." Asked Caspian who was obviously expecting such a response to his declaration.

"We simply mean, Your Majesty that the Lady Astrum is not what we would expect." Added a second Lord, a younger man at the far end of the table.

"Please, Lord Lifar, if you could remind us of the prophecy." said the King, a small smile on his face as he turned to face me. I blushed a deeper red then before and looked away quickly. This was ridiculous, how could I be part of any prophecy, least of all the Bringer of Peace!

Lord Lifar looked to his fellow lords before reciting the prophecy;

"_They will come in disguise and attack from afar_

_Before questions of identity and words will spar_

_An innocent's life will be set in a trap_

_As the final puzzle begins to unwrap_

_They will arrive in sleep and by their natural charms_

_The Bringer of Peace will bear no flags or arms_

_Frail at first but strong at the end_

_A broken land the Bringer shall mend"_

King Caspian looked around his council, "Lady Astrum, The Archer Girl, The Bringer of Peace. You asked why I was so eager to retrieve this specific prisoner when it was so clearly a trap, well this is why My Lords. She fits the prophecy, she joined the fighting in disguise, an archer attacks from a distance, her identity, her relationship to the Kings and Queens of Old was questioned and is the only reason she is still alive, and she is the innocent life set in a trap."

"But My Lord, there is any number of archers and innocent lives are being set in traps every day. What makes you so certain of this _girl_ being part of the prophecy?" asked a third lord who sat two chairs away from me, he spat the word girl at me, his distaste obvious. I sunk into my chair, wishing the ground would swallow me up.

"_They will arrive in sleep and by their natural charms, The Bringer of Peace will bear no flags or arms._" Recited the King. "Lady Astrum was imprisoned at Aslan's How by the Free Telmar Movement before being poisoned by their Lord Commander Yarlet. When we rescued her she was in a deep sleep, unable to move." He looked around his councillors, "Never has there been such a clear fit to a prophecy."

"But she's only a girl!" protested the same lord.

King Caspain rounded on him, his eyes burning with passion. "The prophecy makes no mention of age, nor gender. You will keep your prejudices to yourself Lord Findlay. Do not forget the Kings and Queens of Old, even young Queen Lucy the Valiant had her place in the prophecies and in the fighting."

XXX

"Ilius my old friend." Said Harriot, smiling as he entered the soldiers training courtyard. "We got her back, Aridane I mean."

Ilius gave a small smile in response, "I'm glad, is she hurt?" he asked, his attention obviously elsewhere as he scanned the courtyard, looking at each soldier closely.

Harriot shook his head, sitting on the bench next to his old friend. "The poison is still affecting her a little but she has her balance back and her sight is near perfect again." Harriot followed Ilius' gaze to a group of four men on the far side of the courtyard. "You seem troubled Ilius."

"There are stirrings in the ranks. We must speak in private, these are not matters for the ears of common men." He whispered before standing and moving towards the castle. "Let us go visit the Lady, I'm sure she'd be glad of a familiar face." He said more loudly as Harriot followed his lead and the pair looked for a more secluded area.

XXX

"There are spies certainly, perhaps more." Said Ilius quietly as the pair walked along the castle battlements against the dark sky, "I'm certain there are Free Telmar soldiers in our midst and they plan to attack from the inside. You must be wary Harriot, get word to the King and Ariadne but deliver it yourself, don't trust anyone."

"Do you know when?" asked Harriot, pausing to look down on a group of soldiers below them.

"I overheard mere snippets of conversations, they will attack at night when the guard is lowest but I don't know any more detail. I will keep listening but you must warn the King." Answered Ilius, watching the men below as they suddenly broke away, their weapons drawn and headed into the castle. "Go, quickly Harriot. It's starting."


	13. Attack

A/N - I've had a semi-successful weekend of being told my assignment was wrong so rather then finishing it as I'd planned I had to rewrite a big chunk of it. Oh well, live and learn... Tomorrow may or may not grant you an update depending on how I feel after my trip into uni to talk to my tutor about not doing the extra year I'm enrolled in and not graduating on time... so depending on how rubbish I feel, you might get an update!

Still wishing I owned Narnia (or could go visit, visiting would do) and SERIOUSLY wishing I could steal Ben Barnes... still...

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Attack**

"You have caused me a great deal of worry." Said the King as we entered his bedchamber after the council meeting, "Especially with that stunt of yours in the woods."

I looked at my feet, "I am sorry Your Highness, I never meant for this to happen."

The King smiled, "Of course not, I do not blame you. I praise you for your courage, but war is no place for women." He moved to a chest of draws on the far side of the room and unbuckled his sword belt, laying his weapon gently on top. "Although I would like a few answers if I may." Finished King Caspian, studying his sword, a gift from High King Peter, before turning to face me once again, "What do you know of the Kings and Queens of Old?" he asked, studying my face as I answered.

I looked at my feet again, unable to meet his gaze no matter how friendly his eyes, "Only the old stories, and of course what has come to pass when they have most recently visited Narnia. If you are asking about my connection to Queen Susan then I am afraid to say that I know no more then you."

A puzzled look came over King Caspian's face briefly before he shook his head slightly a smiled again, "You really are a mystery. No matter. On another note, I thought you would probably feel most comfortable sleeping away from the other men, I have had a bed brought here for you for the night until we can make a better arrangement." He gestured to the bed beside me, while considerably smaller and less elaborate then his own it looked a great deal more comfortable then the hard floors I had become accustomed to recently.

"Thank you Your Highness." I said, not quite knowing how to best view the offer. Did he want to keep me close for my protection, or so he could keep an eye on me?

He smiled, "Enough with the niceties. Make yourself at home, you are my honoured guest and will be treated as such."

XXX

I was stirred from my dreamless sleep by angry voices, at first hushed then becoming louder and more insistent before a cry of pain brought me roughly back to consciousness. I opened my eyes to see Caspian vaulting from his bed wearing nothing but linen trousers, grabbing for his sword with no thought for his mail or plate armour.

"Ariadne," he hissed urgently, as he drew his sword from its sheath, "arm yourself."

I followed his order, reaching to my bow and dagger. As I done so the door burst open and four Free Telmar fighters moved purposely into the room. I flattened myself against the wall, hidden by the open door as the attention of the four men focused on the King opposite them.

"What do you want?" spat King Caspian at the four intruders, his sword raised ready for an attack.

"Ultimately, we want your throne and your life. As it stands, you will suffice for now." Answered one of the intruders, his sword lowered in easy ignorance. "Take him." He ordered the three men accompanying him.

I watched as Caspian was attacked, he dealt the first man a mortal blow before being overpowered by the remaining two. His sword was forced from his hand and his arms pulled behind his back so roughly that he couldn't help uttering a small cry of pain. At that point his eyes locked onto mine, wordlessly telling me that there was nothing I could do. My weapons were just out of reach and I was outnumbered three to one.

"How dare you! I am your King!" he shouted, obviously hoping to catch the attention of any allies who may be close by. "Release me at once!"

"I do apologise Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I am under orders." Smirked the man in charge as he walked slowly towards Caspian, "I was told to collect you and The Archer Girl. Now I don't suppose you'll tell me where to find her?"

He laughed as Caspian shot him a look of daggers, "Ah well, it was worth a try. Take him to the Lord Commander then find me The Archer." He barked at his men who nodded before dragging the struggling King from the room leaving him alone save for me being trapped behind the open door and the dead man on the floor.

He moved to the other side of the room where King Caspian's sword lay discarded. He picked it up, admiring the lion depicted on the butt of the handle. "Not exactly the great King he was supposed to be." He said to the sword, as if the lion could hear him. He turned the sword in his hands and cut at the air a few times, admiring its balance then plunging the sword deep into the bed where Caspian had been lying only a few minutes ago before smirking and leaving the room.

I crept warily from behind the door, collecting my weapons as I did so and moved towards the bed where Caspian's sword stood and pulled it gently from the bed. "He'll be needing this soon enough." I whispered to myself as I returned it to its sheath pulled on some of the Kings breaches and a shirt instead of my nightdress, and buckled the Kings sword belt around my hips before quietly slipping from the room.

XXX

"Get your hands off of me! You have no right…" Shouted King Caspian as his hands were fastened by irons. Once more he tried to wrestle away from his captors only to earn himself a heavy blow to the stomach and what would turn out to be an impressive black eye. "You will all pay for this…" he threatened as he gasped for air, winded by the blow he'd taken to the stomach.

"Enough with the hollow threats already." Said the man sitting in the throne at the end of the room, basked in the light of the many torches surrounding him. "You have no way of following them through, although, if you tell me what I want to know, I'll be sure to have these men punished on your behalf."

Caspian laughed a hollow laugh, "You want me to tell you where to find The Archer. Do you really think I would just give her up? You know who she is, you know what she is and you're scared of her!" he spat at the Lord Commander who rose from his throne with an expression of hatred firmly set on his face.

"I am not scared of a little girl!" he barked, advancing on Caspian as he knelt on the floor before him. "Who she is makes no difference, after all, if I can capture the great King Caspian and his castle then how hard will it be to catch one archer, a girl who is hardly able to bear children?" He stopped barely a metre in front of Caspian and crouched down, his eyes burning as he lent forwards. "She doesn't stand a chance, she'll be dead before the sun rises." He whispered solemnly.

"Don't be so sure." whispered Caspian viciously in return before he was knocked to the floor.


	14. Capture

A/N - I'm rebelling... and going to rant at all my readers (feel free to stop reading this and just get on with the story), I emailed my tutor on Tuesday evening last week telling her I was planning to go into uni to see her (not exactly round the corner). Getting no reply before the weekend I assumed this was fine... No, she emails me back at 10am telling me she's doing interviews all afternoon, by email! Good thing I checked in the morning rather then just setting off after work at 1pm like I'd planned! And the most annoying thing is still to come... oh yes, I gave her 2, not 1 but 2 phone numbers to contact me on... did she try... no... no missed calls or messages on my mobile and no message coming through from the receptionists at work! ARGH!

Really wishing I could nip into Narnia now but alas, I don't own Narnia so can't just wander in as I please...  
Please enjoy! And Please please reivew (Thank you 'guest' for your review(s?))

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**Chapter 14 - Capture**

I found my way quickly to the armoury which was only lightly defended by two Free Telmar fighters who I quickly and quietly disposed of. Once inside I donned a protective leather tunic and arm greaves and stocked up on arrows and a few throwing knives, I was going to have to fight my way to Caspian so I was going to need all the help I could get and a little luck thrown in for good measure. As I made for the door I caught a glimpse of something gold, flashing across the swords and polished steel, always just out of sight. I smiled, I wasn't alone after all.

The sound of running footfall warned me only seconds before four men burst into the armoury. "Someone got here before us, those Telmars are still warm, they can't be far away." Whispered one of the men, a voice I recognised.

I stepped out from my hiding place behind a rack of armour, an arrow notched in readiness but my bow string was loose in my hand. "Harriot?"

The four men spun to face me, their makeshift weapons of wood and broken metal raised before recognition and relief flooded across their faces.

"Ariadne." Said Harriot stepping forwards and embracing me warmly, "How did you escape?" he enquired as he stepped backwards and began inspecting the nearby swords.

"I got lucky, but they have the King." I replied, "There was nothing I could do." I hung my head, feeling ashamed of myself for the first time since being attacked in the Kings bedchamber.

XXX

Parareepit jumped nimbly atop the raised roof of a sleeping Telmar residence and looked towards the castle where there was little noise but a deep sense of anger, and bloodshed. By chance he had been running an errand but there was no mistaking the smell of blood and muted cries coming from the castle. He quickly calculated the fastest route and made for the high walls surrounding what was supposed to be the Kings safe hold.

XXX

"That's the problem with civil wars." Explained one of the Loyalist men who now accompanied the infamous Archer, "You never know who is on which side."

"Ilius warned me of his suspicions but there wasn't enough time to send word." Whispered Harriot as they stalked the empty corridors of the castle. "Chances are, they've taken him to the throne room. There's a hidden door at the back behind the throne, this way."

XXX

I followed the soldiers as they made their way towards the door, as we edged down the corridor our suspicions were confirmed. Angry voices floated up to us from the chamber beyond.

"Why do you owe her such a loyalty? Why does she deserve your silence?" Hissed the harsh voice of the Lord Commander.

"Why are you so desperate to find her?" was the King's reply, the smirk in his voice obvious, "If you're not scared of her then why bother?"

"Enough!" shouted the Lord Commander. His exclamation was followed immediately by a jingling of chains, and a groan. "Gag him until he decides to say something useful."

I reached for an arrow but Harriot grabbed my arm.

"That's not going to help him. You kill the Lord Commander and they'll kill the King. We need a plan." He hissed urgently, not releasing his grip on my arm.

I looked through a small hole in the wood of the door. King Caspian lay on the floor, most of his exposed body covered by a sheen of sweat and blood, a guard had stepped forwards and was tying a length of cloth over his mouth, muffling his pathetic groans further still. 'Hang on, just hang on.' I thought to myself before looking back to Harriot and nodding.

XXX

The Lord Commander pulled Caspian onto his knees as the guard finished gagging him. "You know, I don't think you've turned out to be such a great king after all." He whispered before allowing the King to slump back to the floor.

He stalked back to the throne and seated himself as if he were already the king. King Caspian lay motionless on the floor before him, save for the laboured effort of his chest rising and falling. The Lord Commander smirked to himself, this was easy, Caspian had left too hastily in his bid to save The Archer and had left his castle wide open for infiltration. He mused on his success for a few minutes before a quiet noise from behind his broke into his thoughts.

XXX

The plan was going perfectly, if you take into account that my capture was part of the plan, Harriot and his men had hidden before I opened the door, luring the Lord Commanders men towards me. As they approached I took my chances and loosed three arrows at the approaching men, the first two hitting their targets, the third flew wildly off course as I was attacked.

"The Archer My Lord." Called one of the soldiers.

My part of the plan was done for now, it was all up to Harriot if the King and I were going to come out of this alive.


	15. Part of the Plan

A/N - **The Story Rating has been upped to M** - please can all readers make note of this and continue at your own discretion.

Unfortunately due to a long standing injury which has now gotten much worse (repetitive stain injury in my wrist) my writing is even more affected then normal, most of this story is written so uploads is only affected by my time issues. The potential follow up story will however be affected so writing will be so for the foreseeable future. Sorry... blame my wrist!

Really wishing I could nip into Narnia now but alas, I don't own Narnia so can't just wander in as I please...  
Please enjoy! And welcome to my new readers and thank you for the reviews I've received so far!

* * *

_Warning to readers – I didn't mean for there to be anything overtly nasty in this story however this chapter does include a small amount of content a **more adult nature**. There is very little detail about what precisely is going on and it is only a very short section. **I have upped the rating to M** because of this, please read on at your own risk._

**Chapter 15 – Part of the Plan**

Harriot watched as Ariadne was attacked and dragged into the throne room. Her arrows and bow were immediately confiscated but as he'd hoped they done no more than take a quick glance over her body to look for other weapons, missing the dagger concealed in her boot. He winced as she was backhanded across the face and marched towards the Lord Commander.

He waited two full, agonisingly slow minutes before emerging from his hiding place with his three comrades, buckling the Kings sword around his waist. Now all they had to do was find some more help before freeing the King and Ariadne.

XXX

I glared at the Lord Commader as I was thrown to the floor in front of him. I could see the King lying on the floor behind him making no effort to move, simply looking at me with sad, tired eyes.

"Ah, you decided to join our little party then. Tell me Archer, who are you really? We never had a chance to get properly acquainted before, did we?"

"I fight for Aslan and King Caspian. You have no right to the throne!" I hissed as I pushed myself onto my knees, gaining me a second powerful slap which knocked me back to the floor. Pushing myself upright again I spat the blood that now filled my mouth onto the Lord Commander's boots.

"Insolent girl! You will be taught some manners!" He looked towards a nearby guard and nodded. My hands were pulled roughly behind my back and bound tightly with a length of cloth. "I suggest you watch your mouth, the only person willing to protect you from all of these deprived men isn't feeling up to much right now." He smirked, gesturing behind him to Caspian who, despite his injuries was pushing himself upright in response to the threat.

I bit back my retort, we hadn't anticipated the Lord Commander would sink to such lows.

"That's much better." He smiled, as if he'd been reprimanding a small child for not saying please and thank you. He turned back to Caspian, still smiling, "She's a fast learner, much faster than you your Majesty. Since we now have both of you now, I guess we can finish with this charade." He unsheathed his sword slowly, drawing out the moment.

"Don't you _dare_ touch him!" I spat at him, not thinking about the consequences.

XXX

Reaching the cells below the castle Harriot found only five men able to help him rescue the King, apparently prisoners was not something the Lord Commander cared for. Leaving the dead and badly wounded behind he hoped that his other men had been more successful in their hunt for extra man power.

XXX

'I will not cry, I was not going to cry.' I told myself over and over, repeating the mantra in my head. There was nothing these men could do to me that truly mattered. I winced as the Lord Commanders man grabbed my hair, forcing me to face him from my position on my knees in front of him. Lowering his trousers slightly he smiled maliciously at me before forcing himself towards my expressionless face.

Looking out of the corner of my eyes I could see the king watching, his expression unreadable as the Lord Commander's men stood on either side of the proud figure making sure that he would not look away.

Once three man had satisfied themselves the Lord Commander stepped forwards, raising his hand. "I think that will do for now, perhaps we'll use her again later. Let her think about her actions while I consider my address to the people. "

The King and I were hoisted to our feet and marched to the centre of the room before being dropped to the floor next to each other. Our guards stood in a circle around us, seven men guarding two restrained prisoners in the middle of an empty room, the Lord Commander wasn't taking any chances.

Caspian winced as he hit the floor hard, rolling onto his side and gasping for air through his gag. I moved beside him, positioning my knees below his head. For the first time I could see just had badly injured he was. His skin was already bruising, several cuts on his face, presumably made by the Lord Commanders rings still glistened red and blood trickled slowly across his sweat slick chest from a deep wound on his right shoulder.

Looking around to check that none of the guards were looking our way I leant close to Caspian's head, my breath tickling his face as I whispered to him. "Harriot is coming, he's got a plan to get us out of this." The King looked up at me, doubt filling his eyes, doubt that changed to pride as I continued, "There's a dagger in my right boot, I can't get to it but you can. When the time comes, defend yourself and Harriot will take care of the rest. Whatever happens to me, get yourself to safety."

XXX

Parareepit ran swiftly through the halls of the castle, diving into doorways and crevices whenever he heard footsteps approaching. If it was only one or two men he made short work of them, near silent kills, any more and he decided not to push his luck.

His first thought was to reach the King's chambers, while he highly doubted he'd find King Caspian or The Archer there it would make for the start of a trail. He looked around the mostly undisturbed room quickly, the dead man on the floor clearly indicated a struggle but there was very little furniture disturbed. The King was obviously caught off guard. He dived beneath the bed as footsteps approached from the direction he'd been headed, a group of sixteen men rushed into the room, pulling the door shut quietly behind them.


	16. Harriots Rescue

A/N - The usual begging for forgiveness at the very slow updates. I'm down to only having revision left to go now before my final exams, then its only my practical skills log... which will be the death of me... So at least for the next few weeks the updates should be a little quicker... not that that will be particularly difficult (sorry again).

Really wishing I could nip into Narnia now but alas, I don't own Narnia so can't just wander in as I please...  
Please enjoy! And welcome to my new readers and thank you for the reviews I've received so far, please keep reviewing! Also there is a poll on my profile about a potential follow up story, the style will be a little different to this one with old and new characters for me to play with.

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**Chapter 16 – Harriots Rescue**

"From what we could see there was only ten guards within the room itself, plus the Lord Commander." Explained a voice quickly.

"But what about outside, guarding the door."

"Six men, two on the door and two at either end of the corridor." Said Parareepit as he revealed himself to the group, jumping onto the foot of the bed. "The Lord Commander seems to have stretched himself a little thin, a great number of his men lay dead and only a few small groups patrol the corridors.

Harriot smiled at the mouse, "Nice of you to join us Parareepit. Now, as I was saying, we saw only ten guards but they've certainly positioned men on the door behind the throne now, so it might be that he's pulled his forces back to the throne room and surrounding corridors rather than patrolling the whole castle."

One of the men shook his head. "This is madness, we're going to be killed!"

Harriot took a step towards the man, "Your King is in that room, along with The Archer, the girl who is foretold to unite all of Narnia once more. If we die trying to rescue them then at least will die knowing we have done all we can for our King and for Narnia." The man shied away, taking a step back and looking to the ground. "Does anyone else want to leave? You're welcome to take your chances with the Lord Commanders men."

A ripple of pride spread through the men as they digested Harriot's passionate words. Each man in turn placed their hand on their chest as announced their allegiance to Harriot and the King.

"A nice sentiment but I personally would rather not die, which is why I have sent word to the Old Narnian Company and also to Ariadne's NUP comrades. Reinforcements will arrive at daybreak." Said Parareepit as he repositioned himself on Harriots shoulder.

"That could be too late." Hissed Harriot

"Perhaps, but it is a risk we shall have to take." The mouse switched his focus to address the full crowd of soldiers, "The Lord Commander is a showman, no doubt he wishes to flaunt his success to the people of Telmar. An assembly has been called at dawn and he will appear on the Royal Balcony, my guess is he will have The King and The Archer with him. We will make our move then."

XXX

Dawn broke quietly, seemingly unaware of the night's battle as light filtered in through the stained glass windows of the throne room. I nudged the King back to wakefulness as our guards moved towards us, he'd fallen asleep quickly, no doubt the blows to the head affecting his mind and body.

We were hauled to our feet as the Lord Commander approached us, a smile on his face. "Would you care to join me while I address my people? Your Majesty I think the gag should stay in place, as for you girl, if I hear a single solitary word from your lips…" he glared at me, not finishing his sentence but allowing the threat to hang over me like a dark cloud. I nodded my understanding. "Well then, up to the Royal Balcony it is."

We were marched from the throne room, the Lord Commander leading followed by King Caspian who staggered his way between two guards then me and the remaining guards bringing up the rear. As we entered the reception room leading onto the balcony I could hear the murmur of the crowds below. No doubt they had picked up on the battle overnight but had no idea of the true extent of the damage.

The Lord Commander stepped out into the dawn sunshine without a moment's hesitation, the noise of the crowd reducing almost instantly. "People of Telmar, I have come before you this morning to inform you of the events which transpired overnight. My forces have taken hold of the city and you should now consider yourselves under my leadership." He beckoned his guards forwards, dragging me and the King along with them. "As you see, The King and The Archer are my prisoners. I have won the city by right of war."

Gasps spread around the crowd as the King and I were pushed out onto the balcony. Many women began crying and whispers began to circulate. Caspian made no attempt to hide his shame at his position, chained and gagged and at the mercy of the Lord Commander, his posture reflected his mood entirely.

Shouts began to sound from the crowd below, growing in intensity rapidly, "Long Live the King! Long Live the King! Long Live the King!" I looked towards the Lord Commander, the fury he felt evident on his face. King Caspian however fell to the floor at my feet, his exhaustion apparently overcoming him, or that's what I thought until I felt a hand reach down the outside of my right leg and remove the dagger hidden within my boot.

Looking out to the crowd I saw that a number of fights had broken out between the people of Telmar, many of whom seemed unusually well armed, and the Free Telmar soldiers. A cry rang out from within the reception room behind me and soldiers quickly appeared on the balcony, soldiers wearing the deep blue uniform of Caspian's Loyalists.

Caspian jumped to his feet with an unexpected burst of power and determination, taking the entire gathering by surprise as he buried the dagger into the gut of the guard closest to him. The Lord Commander came to his senses quickly, unsheathing his own dagger and pulling me close to him as a shield, his dagger against my throat.


	17. This Is Not Over

A/N - I'm back and this story is finished. Since it's Easter I'm going to give you as close to an Easter egg as possible over the internet, TWO chapters! These two chapters mark the end of this episode of Narnian adventure, I hope you enjoy them. Again welcome to any new readers and remember that there is a poll on my profile about a potential follow on story so please cast your vote as to whether I should begin a new distraction from my university work!

Really wishing I could nip into Narnia now but alas, I don't own Narnia so can't just wander in as I please...

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**Chapter 17 – This is not over…**

An archer fired an arrow at the Lord Commander from within the reception room, striking me in the left shoulder. I cried out as pain radiated down my arm and across my chest, a red stain appearing on my tunic around the arrow. As my eyes closed against the pain I missed the concern on King Caspian's face as he spun at the sound of my cry.

"Hold your fire!" I heard the King shout, having removed his gag.

"Make a path." Growled the Lord Commander, when nobody moved he repeated himself, pulling the dagger against my neck, bringing forwards a trickle of blood, "I said, make a path."

"My Lord?" Called Harriot from within the room, the obvious leader of the rescue.

Caspian looked at me before nodding, "Do it."

The crowd of soldiers parted grudgingly, allowing the Lord Commander to force me through in front of him followed by the remainder of his own guards, once clear of the balcony he spun around, his knife still at my neck and smiled. "This is not over King Caspian."

I grunted as he pushed me ahead of him through the open doorway and into the maze of corridors in the castle. I could hear the sound of running footsteps following us but the Lord Commander managed to keep a turn or two ahead of the pursuing soldiers. I stumbled as he pushed me forwards, falling heavily onto my knees but managing to roll my right shoulder under me to avoid falling onto the arrow still protruding from my left shoulder.

I was dragged back to my feet before the Lord Commander threw me towards the Loyalist soldiers as they rounded the final corner before making his escape. A surprised soldier barely caught me as I was propelled towards him, he lowered me to the floor against a wall as gently as possible before joining his companions in the chase.

Caspian was at my side in seconds dropping his sword, which had he presumably reclaimed from Harriot, and examined the arrow in my shoulder, forgetting his own injuries. "Are you alright?" he questioned, cutting away the tunic and shirt with my dagger.

"What do you think?" I hissed through clenched teeth, trying not to shout out in pain.

Caspian looked at me with worried eyes before catching the hint of a smile on my lips. "Of course, stupid question."

I laughed slightly before discovering it was a bad idea with an arrow stuck in your shoulder. "At least we're alive. I had my doubts."

Caspian paused as he moved to cut the bindings on my wrists, his own still bound by chains. "The plan..?"

"Never really existed." I admitted with a smile. "I let myself get captured to protect you since I had the best chance of not being killed on sight, then left the rest to Harriot. I think that all went pretty well, all things considered." I added as the King moved back to my side. I cupped his face with my uninjured arm, "You're hurt." I said, rubbing his cheek gently.

"It's not so bad," he replied, as he cupped my hand with his own before moving back slightly. "Are they my clothes?"

I smiled as two soldiers appeared from down the corridor, they had caught and captured the Lord Commander of the Free Telmar Movement with help from the Old Narnian Company and Narnia United in Peace troops. He was now making his way down to a cell along with any of his men who had surrendered, waiting for the King to decide their fates.

"Perhaps later." Said the King, "In the meantime send for the doctor, and could you find some keys for these?" he held up his hands at which point the two soldiers blushed slightly and exited quickly. He smiled as he turned back to me, "Honestly Ariadne, are you alright? I mean about what they did to you as well."

I nodded, once again cupping his face with my hand, "I'm just glad you're ok."

What happened next was a complete surprise as not only was I not expecting the King to kiss me, but I didn't expect myself to let him. We stayed locked together in a subdued passion for a few moments before he pulled away, resting his forehead on my own.

"_They will come in disguise and attack from afar_

_Before questions of identity and words will spar_

_An innocent's life will be set in a trap_

_As the final puzzle begins to unwrap_

_They will arrive in sleep and by their natural charms_

_The Bringer of Peace will bear no flags or arms_

_Frail at first but strong at the end_

_A broken land the Bringer shall mend"_

Caspian whispered the words of the prophecy, my prophecy, raising his hands to hold my own. "You are the Bringer of Peace Ariadne, with Commander Yarlet in the dungeons the fighting will stop." He kissed my lips softly before moving away.

I opened my eyes, looking at his face and body, taking in every cut and bruise, determined never to forget how the King looked at this precise moment. My pains were temporarily forgotten in my moment of complete bliss, studying the Kings tired face as he in turn studied our hands, mine still bearing scraps of the cloth which had bound them, his chaffed and raw from the chains he still wore.

My eyes widened in horror as a soldier approached wearing the black uniform of the Free Telmar Movement. "Caspian!" I exclaimed and without a thought I pushed the King aside and grabbed my dagger from the floor beside me and pushed myself to my feet. The King recovered quickly, scrambling to his feet holding High King Peters sword, facing the approaching soldier.

The soldier stopped, quickly pulling off his helmet and throwing it to the ground. "It's OK, it's me, Ilius."

I smiled as I sank back to the ground. "Nice of you to join us." I said with a groan.

"I took a leaf out of your book and tried out a disguise, luring the Free Telmar soldiers away from the balcony while Harriot stormed it with his men." Explained the old solider as he moved closer. "You're hurt. Let's get you somewhere more comfortable." He said, as he handed his sword to the King and lifted me in his surprisingly strong arms.


	18. Just One Problem Left

A/N - DONE! (I wish I could say that about my revision...) This marks the final chapter and this story is now complete! I hope you've enjoyed reading, please leave me just one final comment and tell me your favorite part, or annything else you liked or even disliked about my story!  
I leave you with one final reminder that I have started planning and have written the first few chapters of a follow on story so please cast your vote on whether you'd like me to upload this (I'll post the first chapter as a taster shortly) on the poll on my profile.

Really wishing I could nip into Narnia now but alas, I don't own Narnia so can't just wander in as I please...

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**Chapter 18 – Just one problem left**

I woke with a start as I felt someone hold my uninjured hand. In a panic I threw myself to the left, onto my wounded shoulder, reaching for my dagger which I had left on the table beside the bed.

"Hey, Shh, it's alright." Said the presence to my right, his strong hand on my shoulder, stopping me from rolling further onto my left in search of my dagger.

I flopped back, closed my eyes and took a deep, controlling breath as a gentle kiss was planted softly on my forehead. I opened my eyes and looked into the deep brown, almost black eyes of the King. He sat on the edge of the bed, his chest covered by white bandages, his arm in a sling and an apologetic smile on his face.

"Good morning Your Majesty." I sighed as I pushed myself up with a wince. The past few days seemed a painful blur, the attack on the castle, the King being captured and Harriot's rescue mission all jumbled together in my mind.

The King smiled as he moved a cushion behind my back for me to lean on. "I'm sorry I startled you, how are you feeling?" he asked gently, his concern painfully obvious on his face.

"I've felt better." I replied with a small smile. "The doctor thinks the arrow has left behind an infection and I'm bruised all over but it's nothing that won't heal in time."

"Good," he rested his hand gently on my own. "Because I have a favour to ask of you. The kingdom wants to see The Archer, the young woman who saved Narnia. I have called an address this afternoon, I'd like you to join me if you feel strong enough."

I nodded slowly, still unable comprehend the idea that I was part of a prophecy and had saved Narnia. "I still don't believe it though." I said quietly, blushing slightly at the thought.

"Whether you believe it or not Ariadne, it's what the people believe and it gives them hope." He stood, moving away from the bed and picked up my bow from the stand to my right. "Did you read this Ariadne, the inscription on your bow?" Caspian asked, handing the fine weapon to me.

I looked at the wood, realising that I never had properly looked at it before, it had always just been a weapon, a tool, only now could I see its beauty. "The bearer of this weapon will bring peace once again." I read aloud, before looking at the King. "I don't understand."

The King smiled, "It was always going to be you Ariadne. Even your weapon was trying to tell you so. _'Frail at first but strong at the end'_ you fit everything, you were weak and helpless when we found you but now look at you, even with an arrow in your shoulder you were prepared to fight Ilius to defend me. You might not think it but you are strong, and perhaps you aren't physically but you have the heart of a lion."

I blushed as he spoke, realising the truth in his words but unwilling to accept it.

"The people believe it, Harriot, Ilius and Parareepit believe it, I believe it. You just need to believe it yourself."

XXX

A few hours I stepped out onto the royal balcony next to King Caspian X, he wore a simple shirt and tunic, covering the worst of his injuries, his arm no longer in a sling as he addressed his people, seemingly uninjured aside from the cuts and bruises on his face. I stood quietly behind him in a loose fitting dress with my arm in a sling feeling exposed as the crowd looked up at me despite Harriot standing next to me, his hand on my back in a supportive gesture.

"Lady Astrum is the true hero today, without her the castle would still be in the hands of Commander Yarlet. She and her loyal friend, the recently promoted General Nefrey, were instrumental in the Commanders defeat and so I would like to present to you Lady Astrum, The Archer and The Bringer of Peace."

The King stepped to the side and held out his hand to me as Harriot gently encouraged me forwards. I took the Kings offered hand, grasping it tightly as I moved towards the edge of the balcony seeing the gathered crowd for the first time. They cheered and shouted up to me, waving scarves and throwing flowers. I smiled back despite myself, it was true what Caspian had said, they believed in me, every single one of them, the only problem was me.

"There's something I wanted to ask you Ariadne." Said the King quietly as he smiled at his peoples response, "Will you stay here, in the castle with me, as my guest? I'll admit I'm completely captivated by you but above all I want to make sure you're safe." He turned to me, placing his other hand on my hip. "I don't want to force you to do anything, but it would make me truly happy if you would stay with me."

I nodded as tears began to roll down my cheeks as the whole experience began to overwhelm me. I smiled "Nothing would make me happier." I admitted as my true feelings rose to the surface for the first time. It was true, I had fought for him because he was my King, but ever since he had rescued me at Aslan's How I had denied any personal feelings, telling myself I was a silly love-struck girl.

The crowd cheered anew as the King pulled me towards him and planted a kiss gently on my lips.

XXX

Nearly two years later I was lying on a bed holding my first child, a beautiful boy who had just entered the world. King Caspian stroked my hair gently as he rocked a second baby boy gently in his arms.

"Two boys." He said softly as he planted a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Two princes, and my beautiful queen, what more could I need."

* * *

Thanks again for reading, until next time my Narnian friends!

:)


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